A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I'm so sorry for keeping you all waiting! ;A ; I have been really drained lately. So much so that I was thinking about putting this story on hold…! But, when I was suddenly suggested to do the Phantom Awards over on Wattpad, I decided to get a-working once again! The chapter is still in the works, but I wanted to let you all know that I'm still working on it! So here's a short preview! Enjoy!

Sunday, August 7th | Early Noon…

"Huh? You're sold out?" I repeated, blinking in surprise as I felt a bead of sweat roll down my jaw. Standing in front of the large, rather lizard-like owner of Shiroku, I felt a wave of uneasiness and unfathomable heat ghostly caressing my exposed arms. After deciding to buy Mimi a new Love-Line umbrella, I spent the entire evening rummaging through my belongs for every yen I could find. Thanks to the expensive medication for my recent wounds, the money in my wallet has practically vanished overnight. With luck and determination, however, I managed to find 1,689.46 yen. It amazes me that I was able to find a majority of the money in the pockets of my clothes.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, somebody bought the last one yesterday. I'm not expecting another load until October" the shopkeeper explained, her round face flapping with sincere apology. I glanced to the empty Love-Line umbrella box, the tingling sensation of anxiety teasing me.

"O-October…? Well, isn't there anything I can do?" I asked, returning my gaze to the owner.

"Nope. Sorry" she replied bluntly with a shake of her head. Rather taken back by her blunt reply, I opened my mouth to try and reach an understanding, only to purse my lips together. The owner, despite her kind and peaceful personality, with her black hair tied in red polka dot scarf, I felt rather intimidated by her brown eyes that hid behind her small circular glasses. Perhaps it was the fact that she wore a red kimono with a blue apron and light yellow socks with wooden sandals, a rather traditional Japanese outfit, that I felt so intimidated by her.

Not wanting to cause any trouble, I calmly exited the store, the summer heat quickly splashing me with humidity. I hadn't realized it, but the store was surprisingly cooler than the outdoors. I let out a sigh of exhaustion and strapped on my helmet. It was thanks to this very same heat that I had decided to take my scooter out and drive here instead of walking, so that the light sweat covering my body would fight with the rather chilled breeze.

Since Shiroku is sold out of the umbrella's, I need to go to Coco's Fur in Okina City. Hopefully the young cashier there would be more open to a negotiation… After awkwardly prompting my scooter up, I got on and carefully drove my way out of Inaba.

"Excuse me..." I called out softly, the door of Coco's Fur closing quietly behind me.

Due to the summer break quickly ending, there was a lot of traffic on the highway on my way here. I couldn't help but feel nervous with the numerous cars around me. To step inside the store with a powerful air conditioner, I couldn't help but let out a loud sigh of relief. Although, I wasn't sure how to feel with the overwhelming pink walls...

"Hello, welcome~" a young voice chimed, catching my attention. The young cashier from the last time I visited was here once again, her fashionable summer clothes flashing as bright as her smile at me. Walking up to her, she quickly recognized me and flashed an even wider smile. I couldn't help but feel a bit shy, slightly startled by the almost inhuman smile.

"Hi, I'm looking for a Love-Line umbrella…? I heard that you had them" I explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry! We're sold out… Those things were pretty much sold out the day I put them on the shelf. Word spreads like wildfire up here with the kids!" the cashier chuckled. I tilted my head to the side, sighing in disappointment.

"You too, huh? Isn't there anything I can do…?" I asked. If I were to return to the Dojima residence tonight knowing that I didn't even try to get a new umbrella, I wouldn't be able to even look at Mimi's in the eyes… The cashier hummed for a moment, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hm… Well, I can probably get an early shipment for you! Although, it'll take a while and will come with a heavy price" the cashier warned in a whimsical tone. My head jerked back to its original position, leaning forward in eagerness.

"I-I'll take it! How much is it?" I asked, slightly nervous. The cashier giggled nervously as she pulled out a calculator and pulled up a few things on her computer. The sound of buttons being pushed filled the room, my pounding heartbeat silently accompanying it's melody.

"Well... For an early ship on such a popular item, it'll be about 70,000 yen" the cashier hummed, showing me the numbers on the calculators.

"Eh…?!" I couldn't help but exclaim. The money I had on me at the moment was nowhere near that large number. Heck, I even wasted 4,000 yen for gas on the ride over here. Anxiety filling me, I pursed my lips together as sweat began to drip from my jaw. There was no way that I could pay for 70,00 right now… Maybe, if I'm extremely lucky, I'll have the option to pay for the total price once the package arrives. I can't give up here… I have to get that umbrella for her…!

Gulping, I nervously exclaimed, "I-I'll take it...!"

"Great! Will you pay now or later when the package arrives?" the cashier asked, smiling brightly.

"L-Later, please..." I replied, shortly letting out a sigh of relief as sweat continued to roll down my face. Do most of her customers bring that much money for clothes…?

"Okay! It'll arrive on August 23rd, Monday. I'll only keep your order for about a week, but then after that, I'll be selling the umbrella to others" the cashier explained with a calming smile.

"I understand!" I replied, bowing shortly. The cashier giggled and waved goodbye as I turned around and left. Once the humid summer heat hit me once again after closing the door behind me, I let out a long sigh. I was able to get the umbrella, somehow, but how on earth am I going to save up 70,000 yen in 19 days? Running my hand through my hair, I let out another sigh as my tired feet made it's way to the parking lot where my scooter sat. There is only one thing for me to do in this situation...

"...I need a job" I muttered to myself in defeat.

Driving on my way to the Dojima residence, I decided to take a new way back to Inaba in an attempt to avoid the traffic. Much to my surprise, I soon realized that the path I had taken was on the same path to Nise's neighborhood. I slowed down the closer I reached Nise's home, memories of the birthday party shortly flashing in and out of my mind.

Approaching the side of his house, I noticed a blue and white scooter sitting beside his parent's car. I couldn't help but blink in surprise as I continued forward, not wanting to be seen, wondering when he got the thing. If that really is his scooter and not a friend's, then I guess that means he's been studying and finally got his license. I recall him talking about that for a while during his birthday dinner… But I wasn't really paying attention. Now that I think about it… Didn't Yukiko also say something about passing something?

"...Hm?" I hummed, noticing a creature sitting on the road. Much to my surprise, I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't even realize I had arrived to the central shopping district. As I got closer to it, the creature began to take shape, forming into a rather cute fox with a red handkerchief wrapped around his furry neck. Blinking in surprise, I slowed down, shortly stopping a good two feet away from it. The two of us stared at one another for awhile in silence, as if waiting for the other to speak up.

"...What do you want?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. The fox said nothing in reply, simply walking up to me with a small wooded sign in its mouth. Blinkin in curiosity, I extended my hand to which the fox dropped the wooden sign in.

"Hey… it's an ema" I hummed, examining the sign. The wish written on the sign read "God, please give me friends".

"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked, looking up at the fox. The fox said nothing once again, simply staring at me. I blinked, something clicking inside my head. "...Oh, do you want me to try and make this wish come true?" The fox yipped in reply, as if confirming my thought. Whether it was from the heat or simply the fact that I was talking with a fox, I felt a drop of sweat roll down my jaw.

"Well, alright, but… I don't even know who this is or where to find them" I pointed out. The fox yipped at me in reply, making it's way down the street. Still sitting on my scooter with its engine purring, I couldn't help but stare dumbfounded into space. With a short sigh, I slowly drive after the fox. Out of all the things that would happen to me today, I certainly did not think that I would be talking and following a fox around…

The fox soon stops in front of a bulletin board between Aiya's and Souzai Daigaku. Turning off the engine, I prompted my scooter at the side of the road and read the multiple pieces of paper on the board.

"Oh… Hey, there's some jobs here!" I gasped, surprised. Gee, this would have been nice to know beforehand… I wouldn't have had to spend so many days studying! The fox suddenly yipped at me, standing on its hind legs and pawing a notice for a tutor. Blinking in slight surprise, I scanned through the contents. To my surprise, the job was only for four hours and paid a good amount of 5,000 yen per hour. Pulling out my iPhone, I quickly pushed in the number and waited.

"Hello, Nakajima speaking" a rather intellectual, womanly voice spoke up.

"Um, about your ad regarding a tutor..." I began, looking at the requirements on the paper once more.

"Oh, uh-huh?" the woman hummed, sounding excited and hopeful. I blinked in slight surprise and looked at the fox, covering the microphone.

"Way to go, fox. You are good..." I whispered. The fox yipped at me in reply.

Evening...

Standing in a traditional, clean boy's room, I found myself standing nervously beside a woman while also in front of her son. The woman whom I had spoken to on the phone earlier was rather desperate for a tutor- and when I mentioned that I was a high school student attending Yasogami, she practically gave me the job right there. It was… Rather startling to all of a sudden be told to head for a stranger's house.

There was a long pause of silence as the three of us stared at one another. Kikyo Nakajima, the woman who was on the phone, and I stared at her son while the young boy stared at me. Well, "stared" was a polite way of saying it. It felt to me as if the boy was inspecting me with his eyes as if trying to determine whether or not I was suited for him. It almost felt like the table had turned: I was the child and he was the menacing teacher, glaring at me to set authority.

"...I'm Shu Nakajima. Nice to meet you" the boy finally introduced, breaking the silence. His voice was nasally and rather high pitched, truly showing his age. Hearing it, I felt my body relax, finally breaking free from his intimidation. It was then that I started to notice his features: straight, short brown hair, relaxed brown eyes hiding behind blue rectangular glasses. He was wearing a blue-collared shirt with folded short sleeves, black pants, and plain white socks.

Nakajima chuckled somewhat awkwardly, swatting her hand gently to catch my attention, and began to ramble: "I'm sorry, he's just a shy boy. But he's so smart, you know? He got the highest score in his class on his last test, and the teacher-"

"Mom!" Shu suddenly whined, interrupting his mother. He bore a face of exhaustion and frustration, showing signs that this wasn't the first time his mother had spoken so fondly about him in front of other people. He didn't necessarily look embarrassed, but based on his tone, I can safely assume that he was. "...E-Enough of that. We're going to study now, so get out."

"Oh, of course, dear. I don't want to bother you while you're learning. But still…" Nakajima began. Not wanting there to be any more tension between Shu and his mother, I turned to her and bowed my head slightly.

"Don't worry, Nakajima-san. I'll do my best to help Shu-kun" I said with utmost care. Looking over at Shu, I slipped in an introduction.

"Hitomi-chan, was it?" Nakajima hummed, sounding a little grateful by my manners. "I hear Yasogami High's scores are starting to climb up there. Shu's already in his second year of middle school, so we need to start thinking of applying to high schools. Well, knowing him, I'm not worried about getting into a good school. But, when it's time for college…" I nodded, understanding where she was coming from. If Mimi does a good job in her classes, it's only natural that I start looking for exceptional middle schools.

"Mom! That's enough, I said...!" Shu suddenly squeaked, the embarrassed tone finally revealing itself.

"Oh, my. I guess you're right. Well, then, Hitomi-chan, please make sure you teach him well" Nakajima instructed with a smile. I nodded in reply. "Study hard, Shu-chan, okay?"

With that, Nakajima left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Officially, the tutoring session had begun. However, Shu seemed to show no interest in learning anything from me. Not that I would blame him… After all, I didn't even bring a single study book with me.

"...Just so you know, I have no interest at all in trying to get into Yasogami High School. You're just the only tutor I can find who could start right now, okay?" Shu growled in a clear voice, returning to his once intimidating nature. "...Do you have a problem?"

I shook my head, muttering,"No, I… Just listening. Don't want to miss anything." Shu sighed, as if disappointed in my response.

"Man… I really hope you're not gonna suck at this. You'll need actual brains, lady, not just looks for this job" Shu remarked, glancing at me once again. I felt a little twitch tickle my face, a little offended by his comment.

"I won't let you or your mother down" I replied firmly, lowering my head slightly to appear somewhat intimidating. I was the adult figure in the room at the moment and I deserve respect from someone several years my junior!

For a moment, there was a look of surprise etched on Shu's face, before he glanced away with a 'hmph'.

"Then, what should we start with? I don't have any subjects that I'm particularly bad at" Shu asked, sounding rather cocky. I twitched once again, but in a different way; a bead of sweat rolling down my face. I didn't have any subjects planned because I didn't even know how old the student I was going to be tutoring was!

"Um… How about English?" I suggested, thinking that the subject would still be rather difficult for this intellectual manchild. And… it was the only one I had confidence in teaching- even without a book.

"...Fine" Shu sighed, sounding somewhat serious for a change.

Despite the small attitude Shu seems to have, he really is a smart kid. He grasps the concepts quickly and answers the problems I have for him in no time at all. Before I could even comprehend it, the two of us became rather comfortable and managed to move onto different subjects.

"...That's enough for today. It's getting late" Shu suddenly announced, putting his pencil down.

"Huh?" Blinking in surprise I pulled out my iPhone to check the time. It was 9:25 pm. "Oh, you're right…!" Feeling rather embarrassed, I brushed my skirt and stood up properly, no longer leaning over Shu's shoulder.

"We'll continue next time" Shu hummed, looking over the amount of paper he filled out during our four-hour session together. I nodded, typing a note to myself on my cellular device.

"You were a good tutor. It was easy for me to understand what you were talking about" Shu admitted, causing me to blink in surprise and look at him. Facing towards me, his face flushed and glanced away. "...I'm sure my natural intelligence had something to do with that as well, of course. You're more than welcome to come again whenever you have the time. I'll keep working at my own pace, as well. So, uh...Please come teach me again."

I blinked in surprise, a little shocked that he was comfortable with me. I was honored, of course, but he seemed to show no sign of growing close with me the moment I stepped into his room. Perhaps… I misunderstood him. Underneath all that talk of being a highly intellectual person, he is just a kid trying to get used to other people. I feel like I understood Shu a little more, creating an almost visible bond…

"Of course. I look forward to working with you in the future" I replied politely, keeping things professional.

"Cool. So… Goodbye" Shu hummed, glancing away sheepishly. I felt the corner of my lips twitch, something tickling in my throat. With that, I exited Shu's room, bid farewell to Nakajima, and made my way to the Dojima residence.

Over at the Dojima's...

3rd POV

Nanako was eating her dinner with her father, all the while watching her favorite anime, "Love-Line: The Magical Detective!". Despite spending some time with her father, Nanako couldn't help but feel rather… Uneasy, for the lack of a better term. Eating dinner late at night, in silence, while watching television was something that Nanako used to do in the previous years. But this year has been different. There was a new addition to the family; an addition that Nanako was very fond- and worried- of. Her older cousin, Hitomi Narukami, for whatever reason unknown to her, was out rather late tonight. Nanako couldn't help but fidget as she ate, glancing over to the clock in the living room. It was almost 10 pm, and still no sign of Hitomi.

Noticing the discomfort the girl was unconsciously displaying, Dojima tried to think of something to talk about it. After all, he was with his beloved daughter. He then recalled the text message he got from Hitomi the other day, saying that Nanako came home drenched from the sudden summer downpour.

"I, uh, heard you came home drenched yesterday. What happened to your umbrella?" Dojima asked. There was a soft tone of authority in his voice, one that made Nanako tense up. Fidgeting, she poked at her dinner, mustering up the courage. It was so easy for her to admit that she had lost the thing when telling Hitomi. Whether it was because Hitomi was much more understanding than her father or because she was a girl, Nanako did not know.

"Um… I think I lost it" Nanako mumbled, trying to avoid aggravating her father.

"Aw come on, really? We just bought that thing for you" Dojima sighed, sounding upset. Nanako's tension vanished and was replaced with guilt.

"I know, sorry..." Nanako mumbled her appetite suddenly vanishing. The room seemed rather gloomy, like before in the past...

"Hey there, I'm back..." a familiar voice called out, causing Nanako to spring up in glee. Running over to the front entrance, Nanako smiled happily at the sight of Hitomi taking off her shoes with ease.

"Yay, you're home!" Nanako chirped, grabbing Hitomi's attention. Hitomi walked past Nanako, petting her head as she walked by, stopping short at the sight of Dojima.

"Well now, you were out late" Dojima remarked, raising a brow. Hitomi blinked, her expression blank as usual, before humming a tune that almost sounded like realization.

"Yeah… I was" Hitomi mumbled, making her way upstairs to her bedroom. Nanako stared after Hitomi, sadness, and disappointment pinching her heart. She was hoping to talk with her older cousin to ease the tension between her and her father. But it seems that she will have to endure it tonight...

Monday, August 8th | Early Evening…

After a long day of working on summer work and tending the garden, Hitomi found herself excusing herself from eating dinner with Nanako after preparing a meal and heading to Aiya's Chinese dinner. Sure, Hitomi would love to eat dinner at the Dojima residence with her beloved cousin, but time was running short for her to prepare Shu's lesson. Since Nanako didn't want Hitomi to be in her room all day, she kept asking her to do stuff with her. An innocent gesture, but sadly caused some problems with Hitomi. Hitomi could still remember Nanako's disappointed and worried expression as she entered the restaurant. But that memory soon vanished when two familiar people caught Hitomi's undivided attention. The lighting wasn't as powerful as at the front of the restaurant, but Hitomi could tell who's head of dark blue hair it was anywhere.

"Kou-chan, Chou-chan. Didn't think I'd see you two here" Hitomi called out, walking over to their table near the back of the room. Kou looked over at Hitomi and smiled, looking excited to have another familiar face. Chou on the other hand… Looked somewhat different. Although, Hitomi couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

"Hey, it's Hitomi-chan! Wassup, girl?!" Chou greeted loudly, surprising Hitomi a bit. It wasn't like Chou to be so… aggressive when greeting people.

"Nothing much… What's up with you? You're acting all funny" Hitomi pointed out, glancing over at Kou who had a worn out but entertained expression.

"PSH! Me? FUNNY?! No way, girrrrrrrl!" Chou suddenly shouted, her words slurred a little.

"Man, to think that you'd be a fun drunk, Chou" Kou chuckled weakly, sounding almost sarcastic.

"Huh? Chou-chan's drunk?" Hitomi asked in surprise, taking a seat next to Kou.

"No I ainnnn't!" Chou argued, her face finally revealing her red color from the alcohol.

"She totally is" Kou sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Aki said that there was this dish they serve here for a limited time during the summer. He said something that sorta set her off competitively, and now… This happened. It was funny at first, but watching Chou after a while becomes kinda tiring."

"Was there alcohol in the meal?" Hitomi asked, wanting to make sure that her friend didn't just straight up drink alcohol.

"Yep- something that Aki didn't tell us. Thank God that I didn't order it too..." Kou sighed, worried that she'd become one of those "bad drunks".

"I don't know what you two IDIOTS over there are talkin' about, but I AIN'T. DRUNK. It's against my FUGGIN' RELIGION" Chou snapped, slamming her hand down on the table. Despite being right in front of her friends, she somehow couldn't comprehend everything that they were saying.

"Chou, you don't have a religion..." Kou pointed out in a deadpan tone. Chou groaned, as if in disappointment, causing Hitomi to wonder what that dish was.

"Jesus, I can hear you all the way in the bathroom, Chou..." a familiar voice grumbled with a sigh. Hitomi turned around and blinked in surprise, a little stunned to see Aki Ebihara.

"Aki-kun…!" Hitomi gasped, softly. Aki blinked in surprise at the silver-haired girl before flashing a bright smile.

"Hey, long time no see! What are you doing here?" Aki asked happily as he took his seat next to Chou who squirmed like a dancing snake.

"Well, I'm working as a tutor for this boy, but I can't let my relatives know. So after cooking dinner, I excused myself to eat here while I prepare the lesson" Hitomi explained, cutting out the unnecessary bits and pieces.

"Huh? You're working?!" Kou exclaimed, catching Hitomi's attention. "Augh, I'm so jealous! I still haven't finished my homework, so Chou won't let me out of the house! The things I would DO for a job right now!"

"Oh, really now~? Would you do anything…?" Aki cooed seductively, resting his chin in the palm of his right hand. Kou blinked in surprise then blushed a furious red.

"Sh-Shut up, you! When you say it like that, it sounds all gross! Idiot! Pervert!" Kou snapped, grabbing the salt shaker next to her.

"Well, it was your fault for sending mixed signals like that in the first place..." Aki booed, a little hurt that Kou called him all those mean things.

"No, it is not! You're just a pervert!" Kuo snapped again, causing Aki to smile with tinted pink cheeks.

"You're cute when you're angry~" Aki chuckled, causing Kou to gasp.

"Sh-Shut up!" Kou squeaked, shaking the salt shaker in front of her. Aki laughed before looking over at Hitomi who was observing the events as silent and poker face as usual.

"Anyways, how much are you making for this tutoring job of yours, Hitomi?" Aki asked. Hitomi hummed in thought when Akira suddenly walked over to them with a bowl of noodles that had a rather sweet yet tangy smell. Hitomi could feel herself becoming lightheaded as Akira placed the bowl in front of Aki before leaving.

"Um… I think 5,000 a lesson" Hitomi finally replied, shaking off the distracting smell.

"I feel like a 5,000 bill right NOW!" Chou squealed, throwing her head back. Kou and Aki groaned, Aki pushing the bowl towards Chou.

"Okay you, just keep eating so you can stop screaming..." Aki sighed, Chou eagerly taking the chopsticks and began eating.

"Why are you even working in the first place? Did something happen?" Kou asked, the thought suddenly crossing her mind. Kou suddenly gasped, her face paling as she grabbed Hitmi by the shoulders. "Do you need money for meds? I can totally give you some right now if that's the case!"

"N-No, no, that's not it..." Hitomi replied, a little surprised by Kou's offer. Once Kou and Aki- who had already pulled out his wallet to help Hitomi, for he too knew about Hitomi's recent incidents- calmed down, Hitomi explained the situation with Nanako and the Love-Line umbrella.

"I see… So that's all it was..." Kou sighed, relieved.

"Gee, you sure are putting a lot of effort into this kid. Just wait until Shiroku restocks them" Aki suggested with a rather bored look on his face. Aki was an only child and despite the fact that he has a large number of younger cousins and nephews, he wouldn't go through so much just to make them happy. Then again, that was one of the things he rather liked about Hitomi.

"No way. Mimi was so happy when she got that umbrella! To see that smile again on her face..." Hitomi began, her words trailing off as her heart throbbed in sadness, images of a crying child flashing in her mind. "I'll do whatever I can for my little sister."

"Okay, now that's how you properly tell someone that you'll do anything for a reason that does not include sexual activity" Aki pointed out, breaking the once serious mood.

"Shut up, Aki!" Kou snapped. "I personally think that you're an awesome older sister for doing this. But there's no way you can get 69,000 yen with that job alone!" Hitomi sighed, nodding knowingly. Hitomi was so startled by the fox and the demand to start working right away that she didn't even look at the other job offerings.

Kou, noticing the rather gloomy atmosphere surrounding her friend, she smiled and patted Hitomi's back, saying; "There's a Daycare nearby where all the little kids go to play- the pay is pretty good. Let me call them up, see if one of my friends can get you a job, and then I'll call you." Hitomi perked up instantly, her body filled with new found hope.

"Oh, that would be great, Kou-chan! Thank you so much!" Hitomi squeaked cheerfully, despite her usual blank expression. There were times when Aki and Kou couldn't help but wonder if their silver-haired friend was secretly an alien. Or if she secretly wore a face mask all the time. It was amazing to them at how easily Hitomi's voice could reveal her inner emotions and yet not express it...